


The Animal

by Wizzy



Series: We're A Great Pair (Ouran High School Host Club Love Stories) [1]
Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Betrayal, F/M, Family Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-29
Updated: 2015-09-29
Packaged: 2018-04-23 23:50:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 10,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4897003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wizzy/pseuds/Wizzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We met after a strange twist of fate. Who knew that I would fall for you?</p><p>Mizura is not your average girl. Age wise, she should only be a first year. However, she is third year because of her intelligence. Never truly having any friends, she knows very little about the emotions she feels for others. But her loneliness comes with good reason. Because of a special power that only her family possesses, her life is controlled by the one family rule that is harshly enforced by her very strict father. No friends, no fun. But when the lovable Mitsukuni "Honey" Haninozuka comes into her life, will Mizura shut him out or will she have the courage to challenge her father's rule?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Betrayal

“Hey, Small Fry,” I said to my “friend.” I called all of them by a nickname that only I used. The reason I never called my friends by their names was because I didn't want to get too attached to them. “You really think we can win this?”

“If Toshiro thinks we stand a chance than I know we can do it!” the overly-cheerful voice of another of my group. I called her Twinkle because she was always so bright like a star.

Toshiro was Small Fry because he was so much smaller than everyone else his age. He was also a genius.

Then we had Furball. She loved fluffy animals like kittens and bunnies. If you wanted to get her to do anything, all you had to do was bribe her with something cute and fluffy.

“Yeah, well you lost every other year.”

“But we've got you this time,” Ruffle said. I always seemed to irritate him. He got his nickname from the one time he wore a shirt with ruffles all over the front. It had looked ridiculous and I was never gonna let him forget it.

And last we had Toga. The first time I'd met him, he'd been running around wearing a sheet like a toga. He was that Mr Popular type. No doubt he had many other people he hung out with besides us.

The six of us were entering a group tournament. It would test all kinds of skills like intelligence, strength, courage, leadership, and a few others that I could never remember.

Today we were all meeting at Twinkle's house. This wasn't the first time I'd been here or the first time I'd met her parents. It was, however, the first time I'd met her older brother.

He was a third year at Ouran Academy. Twinkle would attend it when she started her first year next year. Until then, she attended the same commoner's school as the rest of our group. It had been her choice of course, which confused me.

“Hey Ayame, who's your cute friend?” he asked when he noticed a new face among his sister's group of friends. Apparently they'd been friends with Twinkle for quite awhile, since they treated him as if he were actually part of our group.

“You better stay away from her,” Toga said in a playful tone. “That girl is an animal. In every sense of the word.” As a response I just glared at him.

“I agree with you on that one,” I heard Twinkle's mother say from the other side of the table that most of the group was sitting at. Toga was leaning against the the wall nearby with Ruffle right beside him. “Ayame's told me so much about her. She's your secret weapon for the tournament, right?”

“You bet,” Ruffle said with a smirk. “No human can beat an animal.”

“Especially one this wild,” Toga added and then mumbled something to Ruffle that no one else but me could hear.

“Shut up Toga,” I said in my usual vicious sounding voice as I stood up and punched him in the shoulder. I wasn't as fierce as I seemed, but they weren't wrong when they called me an animal.

My family was known to be very powerful, though it was mainly because people were afraid of us. Of course, there was good reason to be. We weren't normal by any standards. There was a special ability that we had that we were forced to keep secret. Our senses were much stronger like an animal's and with training we can learn to shift our bodies into an animal form. However, that takes an incredibly large amount of training to accomplish.

Me? I was a bit different, even compared to my family. In addition to the other abilities, I have a set of claws that I can use and hide at will. In a way, they're a lot like a cat's, though I can pull them in further so that they are completely invisible.

My “friends” knew about the claws, but not the rest. I had a bad habit of using my claws in a fight or when I got irritated, so keeping them a secret wasn't possible. That particular bad habit was the reason my father wouldn't let me attend Ouran Academy.

The others continued talking about the plans for the tournament, while I wandered around. I soon found myself standing outside with Twinkle's brother.

“So, you go to Ouran, Newbie?”

“My name's Ryoku, not Newbie,” he stated, looking out ahead of us.

“I don't call people by their names,” I said, ignoring what he said his name was. “So you gonna answer my question, Newbie?”

“It's Ryoku. And yeah, I go to Ouran.” Correcting me like that was a pretty gutsy move. Normally I'd threaten him or something equally mean, but he was Twinkle's brother. And he was kinda cute.

“I've always wanted to go there,” I said, lightening up a bit. “My father won't let me though. Sometimes I think he hates me. So what's it like there?”

Going to Ouran was the only thing I'd ever really wanted. Nothing else meant much to me, not even my so called friends. In fact, my friendship with them had only begun because my father wanted me to sabotage the tournament for them. He'd told me that if I were to ensure they couldn't win, I'd be allowed to attend Ouran immediately afterward.

I guess you could say I was using them and at the time, I didn't care the slightest bit.

 

It wasn't hard to ruin them, in fact it was far too easy. They probably didn't stand a chance without me, so it was almost a waste of time.

However, after seeing the looks on their faces when they realized just what I'd done, I felt a small ache deep inside of my heart. It was new to me, so I didn't know what it was or how to react. The look on Newbie's face hit me the hardest. It was a mix of hurt and hatred.

But none of that mattered when I heard my father's next words.

“You'll be attending Ouran Academy starting next week.”


	2. The Witness

Attending Ouran was much different than I expected. Having been incredibly smart, I had been able to skip ahead a few years during my elementary years. This made me a third year high school student, even though age-wise I should have been only a first year.

Most of the other students paid little attention to me, which I liked. Sure, I was a bit lonely, but I was used to that. That was how things had always been.

Unlucky for me, Twinkle's brother was in the same class that I was in. However, because I sat near the back, he had never noticed me until I ran into him in the hallway. Normally I'd never run from a fight, but here I couldn't afford to be fighting.

“If I get my hands on you, you're dead!” he called after me as I ran off. I worked too hard to get here to screw it up now. Slipping into the first door that was out of sight of him, I finally lost him. What I found inside was definitely unexpected.

“Welcome princess,” a gentle voice said and I turned towards it. A blond boy about a year older than me stood in front of me, grabbing my hand. Instantly I took his wrist, twisting his arm and holding it behind his back. It was enough to hurt him, but not cause any injury.

“Touch me again and I'll kill you,” I said in a sweet and innocent tone. I let him go and he moved away from me. “Now, who the hell are you people and where am I?”

“You must be the transfer student,” said a boy with glasses. “Miss Mizura Hasukoba.”

“So what? Answer my question Glasses.”

“Transfer student? I haven't heard anything about her,” said a very girly looking boy.

“She attended a commoner's school until a couple weeks ago. Age-wise, she should be a first year,” Glasses explained, completely ignoring me. “But because of her intelligence, she is currently a third year. If I'm not mistaken, she is in the same class as Honey and Mori-senpai.”

“Eh. Screw you guys,” I mumbled and started to open the door. “I'm outta here.”

“Hey wait Mizu-chan!” A hand grabbed my arm and I turned, prepared to knock them across the room. However, when I saw his face, I froze. It was like looking at a ghost.

He looked like Small Fry. If his hair were shorter and he had glasses, he'd have been identical.

So instead of attacking like I normally would have, I stopped myself. A felt that same ache in my chest that I'd felt when I'd betrayed them. Quickly pulling my arm away, I rushed out the door and didn't stop until I was outside.

 

_(With the Host Club after Mizura has left)_

“What's her problem?” Hikaru said, looking at his twin.

“She practically attacked the boss, but then with Honey-senpai she just walked away,” added Kaoru.

“Honey-senpai, do you know that girl?”

“Mizura is in our class, but she keeps to herself,” Mori answered for him. “She's not the type to back down from a fight and tends to come across as vicious.”

“That explains the nickname her former friends had given her,” Kyoya stated, forgetting he hadn't mentioned it before.

“Mizu-chan is a good girl though,” Honey said.

“Kyoya, what was it that you said they called her?” Tamaki asked, being his usual nosy self.

“We called her an animal,” a voice said from the doorway. In the stood Ryoku, a third year in the same class as Honey and Mori.

“An animal?” Haruhi thought out loud. “Seems kind of mean.”

“She's an animal in every sense of the word.” He was angry with her, though none of the others had any clue why. “I suggest you stay away from her. Save yourself the trouble of hating her later.”

 

_(Back to Mizura)_

“Checking up on me?” I asked the wolf that stood just a few feet in front of me. It wasn't hard for me to understand him; he was my father in animal form.

_Any trouble keeping our secret?_

So that was what this was about. He wanted to know if I'd slipped up yet. “No trouble, but...”

_But what?_

“I didn't expect to run into Newbie here.”

_Does he know?_

“If anything, he'd know about the claws. But unless the others told him, he wouldn't know.” I hoped he knew nothing. If anyone here learned about the abilities my family has, it could mean some serious trouble for all of us.

_You're sure?_

“No one knows about our special abilities,” I repeated. I didn't want to say too much, in case someone could hear me.

_Good. Keep it that way. Remember how you had to act at the other school._

“Yeah, I know. Keep a distance from everyone at all costs. No friends, no fun.” It sounded worse than it actually was, but it was to protect my family. Even if the rest of them didn't really like me, it was my duty as the next head of our bloodline.

 _Oh and if you are looking to stay here,_ he added as he started to walk away.  _Kill the witness._

“Kill the witness?” I asked, confused. But when I turned around, my confusion was replaced with that same ache I'd felt before. The witness was that little blond boy who looked like Small Fry.

I couldn't really kill him, could I?


	3. The Little Blonde Boy

In my head, I thought out everything. As I entered the room where I knew I'd find him, I was a bit surprised to find more people there than yesterday.

After being greeted by the boy with the glasses, I told them why I was here. “I'm looking for the little blonde boy.” On the other side of the room, I saw him freeze as soon as I said it. The tall one next to him placed his hand on his shoulder, probably trying to tell him it was going to be alright.

“I ain't gonna hurt him or nothing,” I added in an irritated voice. “I just wanna have a little talk with him. Alone.”

“I'm afraid we-”

“Look,” I interrupted. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Either way, it ends the same.”

The room was silent as I stood there with my arms crossed. They knew I wasn't about to back down.

After a long silence while the tall one thought everything over, he finally spoke. “Mitsukuni, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Are you sure, Takashi?” the little one questioned. The tall one just nodded and the small one stood up.

Once were we alone I started to speak, though I remained cautious about what I said. “I think you know why I'm here.”

“You're not really going to...” He didn't have to say the rest. He'd heard me say it yesterday.

“Before I say anything else,” I said, having heard a few whispers coming from the other side of the door. “Can you tell your friends to get away from the door? It's not polite to listen to other people's private conversations.”

Sudden shuffling around suggested that they'd heard me and took off before I had a chance to do anything.

“How did you know they were there?”

I couldn't help but laugh. “I could hear them.”

“You must have really good hearing.”

“How much do you know?” I said, forcing myself to be serious and scary. If he knew too much, it could complicate things. I didn't want to have to kill him, but if I had to, then I had to.

“Nothing really,” he said. As much as I hated to admit it, he had an adorable voice. He really was just like my former “friend.” Well, probably not nearly as smart. “Why were you talking to that dog?”

Before responding, I listened for any sign that someone was listening in on our conversation. When there was nothing, I explained as much as I could. “He wasn't a dog. He... he's my father,” I sighed. This was the first time I'd ever had a friendly conversation with anyone without it being just an act. “I can't really explain much more than that. I'm going against his orders by being here right now and telling you this.”

“Then why are you here?”

Good question. Why was I here? Was I even saying any of this? “You remind me of someone I used to know... He looked a lot like you and he was a genius. He was one of the greatest people I'd ever met... But then I...” I could feel that little ache in my chest growing stronger as I told him about it. “I hurt him very badly and I know he'll never forgive me for it.”

“Is that why Ryoku hates you so much?”

“Newbie never really trusted me to begin with, so he was more angry than upset about what I did. His sister was a friend of mine, as well as a few others we knew. We were all a pretty strange bunch.”

“What did you do to upset him?” It was

“Well, I say they were my friends, but we were never really anywhere close. It was just an act for me, another of my father's orders. When they found out about it, they were so... hurt...” My voice sounded strange to me. A weird feeling had come over me and I had no idea what it was. Sure, emotions weren't anything I paid much to, but even I should have known this one. Though, I couldn't figure it out. “Anyway... so who are you?”

It was a fairly desperate attempt to change the subject, and the little blonde boy easily picked up on it. “I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka. But everyone calls me Honey.”

“Well, I have told you way too much, Honey,” I said, calling someone by a name that I hadn't given them for the first time since... well, ever. Then, without even thinking, I pressed one of my claws against the soft part under his jaw. “You're already too involved in this, so forget everything you've heard today and everything you saw yesterday. You say anything to _anyone,_ you may not be safe next time.”


	4. The Fight

As I'd told him, the blonde boy said nothing about what he knew. So the next few weeks were uneventful. Until a certain someone from my past decided to make a move.

He'd kept his distance, but it was obvious he'd been holding himself back. Apparently he thought I looked too happy, considering how I'd supposedly ruined his sister's life. Though if any of the group had the right to be so upset, it was the one who had been hurt most, the one I called Small Fry.

He'd stuck up for me when I'd been picked on back in elementary school. That was how we'd met. After that he'd always keep me out of trouble and I'd help him the few times he accidentally had gotten himself into a fight.

“You know, everything Ayame said about you being an animal was right,” Newbie's voice said from behind me. “After what you did to her and her friends, you show no sign that you regret it even the slightest bit.”

I stayed silent, ignoring him. Nearby, a few other students just watched and listened. No one was going to get involved, for many reasons. The main one being that I had a reputation of being not so friendly.

“You know, we all expected it,” he continued on. “Every one of us saw it coming. We didn't want to believe it, but we knew it. Poor little Toshiro though... He refused to believe you were capable of anything like that. Who would have thought you'd have fooled the genius. You-”

I turned quickly, intending to dig my claws into his face. However, my arms were restrained and someone stepped between the two of us. There wasn't anything I could do.

“Leave her alone Ryoku,” a somewhat familiar voice said. He really was just like Small Fry had been. No, I should call him Toshiro. I had no right to call him by that nickname anymore.

“Stay out of it Haninozuka,” Ryoku said, though he backed away.

“Don't get involved in things you don't know anything about,” I said, partly to the two that had interfered and partly to Ryoku. Trying to pull myself from the third person's grip was unsuccessful, so I thought of another way to get free. But before I could put my plan into action, I was dragged out of the room.

“What the hell are you doing?” I shouted at the two the second I was free. “I told you to stay out of this! Do you have any idea what kind of mess you're getting yourself into?”

“Ryoku shouldn't have said that to you,” the little blonde boy said. If only he knew just what Ryoku had been talking about.

“Are you really that naive?” Maybe it was a little unfair to be treating him this way after he'd just saved me, but it was for his own good. “What he said was  _true_. I sabotaged my own friends, and felt nothing. They weren't even really my friends anyway. It was all an act. I'm just a vicious animal, so just stay the hell away from me.”

Before either of them could say anything, I stormed off. Silently I hoped I sounded convincing enough to keep them from trying to act friendly towards me.

No friends, no fun. That was the rule of my clan. I'd already gone against my father's orders once, any more could ruin everything.


	5. Her Lighter SIde

Ryoku didn't cause anymore trouble for me. But that was likely because the little blonde boy and his gigantic friend were always close by. Those two caused enough problems on their own.

Despite my threats and insistence that I had no interest what-so-ever, the small boy was determined to make friends with me. It was amusing, since Toshiro had done the same thing a little over a year ago.

Today, I was lucky enough to run into him alone. Normally the tall one was right at his side, but not today.

“Mitsukuni, right?” I said, not used to calling people by their names. Avoiding him wouldn't work forever, so I may as well give it a try. I was at the point of giving up on trying to be alone. At this place, being alone wasn't an option. “Where's your friend?”

“Takashi forgot something,” he said. “Hey, you just called me by my name.”

“So what?”

“You never do that with anyone,” he said, watching the sky. “It's nice.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why is it that whenever someone brings up Toshiro or whenever I look at you, I feel this ache in my chest where my heart is?” Just mentioning caused me to feel it again.

“You mean you don't know?”

“It's something quite new to me, so I'm not sure what it is.” There had been other times I'd thought of asking, but when Takashi was around it was too awkward.

“I think it's because you cared about him and feel bad about hurting him,” he said, smiling at me. “You regret it, don't you?”

“I ruined the one thing he'd wanted. I doubt he'd ever be able to forgive me.”

“Why did you do it?”

“It was my father's orders and...”

“And what?”

“If I succeeded, he'd let me have the one thing I've always wanted,” I said, looking up at a bunny-shaped cloud.

“Was it worth it?”

“You tell me. Is attending Ouran Academy worth the things I've done?”

He said nothing to that. I didn't even have an answer to that question myself.

Neither of us said another word. Suddenly, I felt another hand rest on top of mine. The only one here was Mitsukuni, so it had to have been him. The question was, why? Was he just trying to comfort me, or was there something else causing him to do it?

As I started to move my hand from his, he grabbed it, causing me to give him a confused look. He just smiled back at me. He squeezed my hand a moment and let it go.

“I think if Toshiro knew how bad you feel, he would forgive you.”

“You really think so?” Just the thought that he might forgive me was enough to bring a smile to my face. “You know, you're a lot like him. It's kinda funny, isn't it?”

“What's funny?” said a new voice, ending our conversation.

“Nothing.” I stood up and started walking away. Maybe it wasn't too late to start over. I could have friends and maybe even make up for what I'd done.

“Hey Mizu-chan! Come to the Host Club tomorrow!” I could hear the childlike blonde boy calling after me. Taking a look back at him, I gave him a smile and just waved.

 

That night, I said nothing of my intentions to my father. He'd never approve of being friends with anyone normal. However, like always, he already knew. And he was not happy about it.

“You know what will happen, Mizura,” he warned. “End it now before it starts. Get any closer to him and you know what I'll do.”

 _No friends, no fun,_  I reminded myself.  _I may be the only successor, but I screw up and there will be no way he'll let me take over._  Disowned, kicked out. No doubt about it.  _But is it worth it? Just how serious was he about this? He wouldn't actually_ kill  _him, would he?_  No sane person would go that far. At least, I hoped so.


	6. Her Father's Threat

I've never understood what was so special about Host Clubs. I still don't. But because Mitsukuni had asked me to go today, I came here.

“Hi Mizu-chan!” that familiar voice called to me the second I walked into the door. I couldn't help but smile. Now that I thought about it, Toshiro used to call me Mizu whenever he was trying to talk me into helping him or when he was getting me out of some serious trouble.

After sitting down with him and his guests, I kept quiet. I felt really out of place, and the other girls knew it.

“So Mizura, is this your first time visiting the Host Club?” one of the girls asked, clearly just trying to be polite.

“As a guest, yeah,” I said, trying to ease up a bit and still act like a normal girl. Yeah, that would so not work out. “I did come in here on accident once.”

“She really scared Tama-chan,” Mitskuni added.

“So why did you decide to come here?” another of the girls asked, following the other girl's example.

Good question. I couldn't exactly say I'd come because Mitsukuni asked me to. That would raise a lot of questions. “I guess I was hoping I'd make some friends,” I lied, and then added a little truth to make it more believable. “I've never had a real friend before.”

“That's awful!”

“Aren't me and Takashi your friends Mizu-chan?” the adorable voice of Mitsukuni asked.

The question caught me off guard. Were they? “I... I guess you are... aren't you?” I said at last. Even though I still wasn't sure what friends really were, they'd definitely treated me like a friend.

“If Honey and Mori are your friends, then we are too!”

 _Looks like I'm going against my father's orders again,_  I thought. To be honest, I didn't really mind. But then I remembered his warning.  _Mitsukuni would be in real danger. The others would be overlooked, but not him. He already knows too much, so he's already too involved. I can't let him get hurt, not because of me._

 

That night, my fears were confirmed. “We have that rule for a reason, Mizura,” my father's strict voice warned me. I didn't have to even say anything, he always knew went I went against his orders. He knew I'd tried to make friends with others, and he knew it was because of one person. “They will never accept us because of what we are. You know that once they find out the truth, everything you've worked so hard for will be ripped away from you.”

“Not everyone is that heartless!” I argued, trying not to believe what he was saying. He was right about most people, but not everyone in the world could be so cruel, right?

“You remember what happened the last time, don't you?”

I wished I didn't. I'd only been six or seven at the time, but I could remember it like it had been just days ago. There had been a boy my age at my elementary school who had tried to be my friend. My father had warned me to stay away from him, but I didn't listen. That's when my father stepped in.

Due to all the extensive training he'd been through when he was younger, he could use one of the abilities in our clan that most of us couldn't. He could shift his body into an animal form. The only one he could use was a wolf, but that was still more than what he needed. In this form, he attacked and killed that little boy.

Needless to say, I never went against his orders again. Not until now anyway.

“If you continue to disobey me, the same thing will happen to that little boy,” he threatened, and the look on his face told me he was serious about it. “If you really do care about him, then you'll stay away from him.”


	7. Mizura's Choice

After my father's threat, I figured that keeping some distance between me and Mitsukuni would probably be a good idea. But things like that were always easier said than done.

I never said anything to him about the threats, but in a way, I think he already knew. The fact that I'd suddenly started wearing the boys uniform definitely made it obvious that something was up.

“Hey, Mizura...” His voice sounded different today. Normally when Mitsukuni talked to me, he called me Mizu-chan, but today he used my full name. It definitely got my attention, as well as Takashi's.

I often looked forward to these moments with the two of them. It was the one time I felt free. However, I never let myself forget the threat that made been made. For now, there was no danger, but the moment he was alone, it would be over.

Some days it was just the two of us, but since the threat, Takashi had often joined us. You'd think it would make this tougher for me. I felt more at ease knowing he was nearby. So long as these two were together, my father couldn't make a move. But his patience would eventually reach its limit.

“You said before that you've never had any friends, but you never said why.”

In all of our conversations, neither of them ever brought up my past or my father. “It... it's hard to explain... it was my father's orders... and if I ever tried to go against him, he'd hurt whoever he needed to, just to make sure I would obey.” I stopped there, not wanting them to worry.

“There's something you're not telling us,” Takashi said, shifting his gaze to me. He didn't say much during moments like these, but whenever he did, he was never wrong.

I said nothing. What could I say? They were involved too much as it was, they didn't need to worry about a problem that I had to deal with on my own.

“Mizu-chan?” Mitsukuni's sweet, child-like voice said, pulling me away from my thoughts.

“Don't worry about it,” I said with a faked smile. “Just promise me something, ok? I want the two of you to look out for each other. No matter what happens, you stick together.”

They seemed to just go with it, but something told me they knew I was hiding the truth from them. It didn't really matter though; this was something I had to do on my own.

I stood up and walked away without another word. It wasn't until I was far from them that I stopped. I couldn't tell them what was really bothering me. The story of what happened to the last person I'd tried to be friends with would only scare them. Maybe if I pulled myself out of this now then they would be forgotten by my father. Why did they have to make this so hard to do? I didn't stand a chance against my father, so how could I protect them and

“Mizura,” the calm voice of Takashi said from behind me. Guess they followed me. “What is it that you don't want to tell us?”

“This is my battle to fight,” I said without turning around. “Whatever happens, I have to be the one to determine how this story ends.”

Takashi could easily figure it out. He may not say much, but he could sense the things others had no clue about. “We are in danger.”

“With our abilities, my family's power rivals the strength of the Haninozuka family. My father has been the strongest yet. No one stands a chance against him. But as long as you and Mitsukuni are together, you will be safe. Whatever you do, do not let him be alone.” It was then that I finally turned around. What I found was not good at all.

While Takashi was standing there in front of me, Mitsukuni was not. My eyes grew wide. This couldn't be happening. This was the opening that my father had been waiting for. The look on my face said everything. This was the end and I was going to make it go the way I wanted.

Running off in the direction that he'd been in when I'd left him, I got there just in time to throw him out of the way. My father's attack then hit me instead, knocking both of us to the ground. During the struggle, we found ourselves falling down a very steep and large hill. I remember thinking,  _why the hell is there a hill here?_ Well, the Host Club has a cage in a music room, so this shouldn't have been surprising.

This was it. Time to end this once and for all. Protecting those I'd grown to love was all I could do. This was my final showdown. If this were a movie, this is where the hero would nearly fail and then make a miraculous comeback. But I'm definitely no hero.


	8. This Is Her Fight

_(With Honey and Mori during Mizura's fight)_

“Honey-senpai! Mori-senpai!” the familiar voices of the Host Club called out as they ran up to the two third year hosts. They'd seen Mizura throw Honey to the ground, but they knew nothing else of what had just happened.

“Are you alright?” Haruhi asked them, but their focus was on something else.

“What happened?” Tamaki demanded rushing over to where Honey stood looking off in the direction that Mizura and her father had rolled. The two couldn't be seen, but maybe it was for the better.

As Tamaki and the twins started to walk towards where Mizura was battling her father, Mori held out his arm, blocking their path. When they gave the quiet man a confused look, he explained why they couldn't interfere. “This is her fight. Mizura has to get through this on her own. It's the way she wants it to end.”

“She knew, didn't she, Takashi?” Honey asked his cousin. Mori simply nodded. “She'll be ok, right?” The two of them knew Mizura better than anyone. So there was no doubt that they knew her father might actually kill her if he had to.

While he may seem overly strict, he had his reasons. He'd seen what happens when someone finds out about someone having powers are abilities that cannot be obtained except through their bloodline. He'd experienced it himself and had been determined to prevent it from ever happening again. His father had treated him like her treated his daughter, though to less of an extreme.

Everything was to protect his family, and nothing was going to stop him.

“I hope she will,” Mori said, though only Honey could hear him. He looked over at his giant friend. His face may not have showed any emotion, but Honey knew exactly what Mori was feeling.

“Will someone explain what's going?” Haruhi asked, clearly not having paid much attention.

After walking a short distance away, Honey and Mori sat down with the other hosts and explained as best they could about Mizura. Leaving out the small detail of her family's abilities wasn't easy. However, they said as much as they could.

“So what happens if she wins?” the twins asked. There was no doubt that there would be consequences no matter which way it went. If she lost, she'd either be alone the rest of her life or she would be dead, that much was obvious. But what if she proved to be the stronger one? What would happen then?

“What do you mean 'if'?” said the fierce voice Honey and Mori knew all too well.

 

_(Back to Mizura)_

“What's with... you?” I flinched as I said it. The fight had been anything but easy, and I'd had to push myself to prove how determined I was. My entire body was aching and I was pretty sure I looked as awful as I felt. “You... look like you've... seen a ghost.”

They stood there staring. No one said a word. I just took a couple steps backwards and leaned against the wall that was there.

“Was there always a wall there?” the girly-looking boy asked. Thinking about it, Mitsukuni had said he was named Haruhi.

“Are you alright Mizura?” I heard Mitsukuni's sweet voice ask as I closed my eyes a moment.

“Nothing I can't... handle.” Truth was, I was in a lot worse shape than I wanted to admit. I wasn't about to die, no way. I flinched as pain shot through my side and I could feel myself sliding down the wall I'd been leaning on.

I could hear my father's voice echo in my head.  _You're just like your mother was, thinking everyone is better than they really are. If you still insist on hanging around them, then you don't belong in this family. If you choose their side, don't even bother coming home._

That had been the last thing he'd said. He'd gone easy on me, though I wasn't sure why. He could very easily have had the fight finished in just a couple minutes, but he restrained himself. It was almost like he'd just been testing how hard I'd fight for this. Had I not interfered in the first place, he'd definitely have killed Mitsukuni. Of course, I didn't quite know just how skilled my little blonde friend was. It was better not to take the chance and find it out too late.

Then my legs gave out on me. Before I fell to the ground, a pair of strong arms caught me. I smiled when I recognized the person's smell. “I... I think I... pushed myself... too hard, Mori.” There was a funny feeling in my head, like it was full of clouds and stars. Then I realized I was losing consciousness.  _Why did I just call him Mori? I never do that..._


	9. Teach Me

When I woke later, I found myself in the school infirmary. The Host Club was there, minus Haruhi, who I assumed had something important to attend to. None of the injuries had been serious, many were just scratches and bruises. Some cuts were fairly deep, but not so much as to require stitches.

Sitting up, I found myself laughing, despite my aching body. “Jerk went easy on me... Wonder what little trick he's got up his sleeve?” The others hadn't noticed I was awake until I'd spoken, and they were a bit startled by my reaction. “I got a ways to go before I can kick his sorry-”

“Mizura.” Takashi's voice interrupted mine. “I think you owe us an explanation.”

The seriousness in his voice hit me hard. I guess I did have to explain. I'd barely had any real injury and yet I'd collapsed as if I'd had. No human could do that.

“I'll tell you everything, but... you can't say anything to anyone, alright? Mitsukuni, I'm not worried about you knowing since you already know some of it, but I need the rest of you to promise you won't treat me any differently.” The little blonde boy sat next to me, giving me a comforting hug as the others gathered around and promised they wouldn't say anything.

“My family isn't like any of yours. There is a special trait that only my family carries. It's typically passed from father to son, since most of those born are male. The mothers usually die not that long after the child is born, that way our abilities stay a secret. There's not many of us, so you can see why my father's so desperate to keep us from being discovered. He really means well, but he goes about it the wrong way. It's just the two of us and my cousin Zuko. Everyone else got discovered and were killed years ago shortly after Zuko was born.”

“People say I'm an animal in every sense of the word. They don't know how right they are. Enhanced senses, strength and speed... that's just the main part of this special blood. With intense training we can transform our bodies into animal forms, as my father can. But that is extremely rare, making him much more powerful.”

“What about the claws?” Mitsukuni asked when I paused a moment. I'd actually forgotten he'd known about those.

“Actually, I'm the only one who has ever had them in the entire history of my family,” I said, my voice sounding a lot sadder than I'd intended. “Not to mention I'm the only girl to be born in the last 200 years...” I clenched my fist in frustration.

“So in other words, you're the odd one of the family?” Kyoya explained.

“Just go ahead and say it already,” I growled at him, taking my frustration out on the innocent boy. “I'm a freak... I know that... And I know you're thinking it... I... I've always known it...”

None of them said anything. As much as I wanted to deny it, it hurt to know they really had thought it. There was a strange stinging feeling in my eyes, but I just pushed it to the side. Unable to stand the silence any longer, I leaped up out of the infirmary bed and took off out of the room.

I didn't stop until I was outside. It was after school hours, so no one was really around.

“Mizura? Are you crying?” said the feminine voice of Haruhi. Guess he'd just had to get something for the others.

That's when I noticed that water had been coming from my eyes. Guess I really was crying. “Just get back to your stupid friends you stupid girl...” I'd merely meant it as an insult, saying he wasn't manly, but little did I know, he was really  _she_. Should have figured that out awhile ago, but that's not important now.

“You don't really mean that, Mizura,” said the all too familiar voice of Takashi.

I spun around, throwing my fist at him. He merely caught my wrist, pulling me to his chest. Whether it was to restrain me or to comfort me, it didn't really matter. I hadn't really wanted to hurt him, I just didn't know how to handle what this was that I was feeling.

“We still like you, Mizu-chan,” the gentle voice of Mitsukuni said as I struggled against Takashi's grip. “Me and Takashi are still your friends.”

I stopped moving. Still my friends? How could that be? “But... I... I'm a freak... why do you still want to even be near me?” I barely managed to speak through the tears. At this point, I just clung to Takashi, unsure what to do.

“We love you for you, Mizu-chan. We don't care that you're different. We just care about you.”

I think that was the first time in my life that I'd ever been completely speechless. Still clinging to him, Takashi stroked my hair, trying to calm me down. Little Mitsukuni just hugged me and the three of us stayed that way until the tears had gone.

 

The next day, I visited the Host Club with one thing on my mind. There was something important that I had to ask Mori. _Damn it, I called him Mori again._  It was strange that I suddenly wanted to start calling him by that little nickname.

“Hey Takashi,” I said in a very calm tone as I rested my crossed arms on his shoulders from behind him. He was sitting with some guests, who seemed quite interested in the situation. “I got a favor to ask.” I moved my head around so he could see me without having to turn too far.

He didn't really speak, but signaled for me to continue. “Well, you know the situation with Dad. How he won't let me come home because of you guys. So I figure if I can get strong enough to beat him in a fight, then we can fix this little problem. So what I wanna know is: will you train with me so I can get stronger?”

Some of the girls sitting with him smiled and told him to say yes. “You should do it Mori!”

“Please Mori?” I said, faking a sweet innocent voice like Mitsukuni's and putting on a cute smile.

The fact that I'd called him Mori got his attention. He just nodded, agreeing to help me out. His face even seemed to get a little pink. “Whoa... now I'm not that good with this, but I think you're blushing,” I teased him, giving him a playful poke.

The moment I mentioned it, it was gone. “Since when do you call me Mori?” he said, slightly teasing me back.

“I don't.” I smirked and started to walk away. But after going a few steps, I turned and hugged him from behind. “Thanks Takashi.” After letting go, I rushed out of the room and bumped into someone in the hallway.

They fell to the ground, dropping their things on the floor. Instantly I started to help pick everything up, handing the things to their owner. However, this was the last person I expected I'd run into.

“Toshiro?”

 


	10. I Hate You Mizu

I just stood there, staring at him. After everything that had happened, what could possibly be said to him?

“Mizu...” He almost looked like he was on the verge of tears. Of course, he had every right to be. He had every reason in the world to hate me. I wished he'd just hit me, but even that would be too kind after the way I'd hurt him.

Toshiro was never the violent type though, so instead he stood up and ran off, right where I'd just come from. “Toshiro! Wait! Don't...” I tried to warn him, but he was already through the door, “...go in there...”

He'd just walked right into the Host Club. I followed him back into the room, despite knowing he didn't really want to see me. Someone had to protect him from that crazy group. Not that Mitsukuni and Takashi were crazy.

When I'd entered the room, I'd found a very scared Toshiro next to Tamaki. Since it's Tamaki, it's not necessary to explain what he was doing or saying. The only thing I really noticed was him grabbing Toshiro by the arm and asking what kind of guys he was into.

“Let him alone, Tamaki,” I said, freeing Toshiro. “Toshiro's not into boys. He didn't even know this was the Host Club; he was just trying to get away from me because he still hates me for what happened before I came here.”

Tamaki backed off, slightly afraid of me. Of course, I did almost rip his arm off when I'd met him for the first time, so he had every reason to be afraid.

“Toshiro Hitsuyo, a first year transfer. Originally attended the same high school as Mizura. He is highly intelligent and could easily skip ahead two years, though has no desire to do such a thing,” Kyoya informed everyone. He closed his book that he always seemed to be writing in.

“You ok, Toshiro?” I asked, my voice was full of concern.

He looked stunned. I wasn't totally sure why, but it didn't surprise me that he was like this. “I... I hate you Mizu...” he said only loud enough for me to hear. Then he ran out of the room, with tears in his eyes.

He had always been a bit on the sensitive side and scared easier than most people, which I used to find slightly annoying. But that was before two very special people came into my life. Now it broke my heart. Being stabbed a thousand times over would have been less hurtful than hearing him say those words.

“Mizu-chan? Are you ok?” I heard sweet little Mitsukuni ask from behind me. I'd been expecting this for awhile now, but that could never have prepared me for what I felt right now.

“I'm alright,” I lied, unable to face my friend who was near identical to the boy whose world I destroyed.


	11. New Feelings

The next few weeks passed so slowly. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get Toshiro's words out of my head. Not even during the training sessions I had with Takashi. No doubt it was obvious to him.

“Mizura,” his deep voice said as I sat down on the floor after today's session. “What is bothering you?”

“Why does it hurt so much that Toshiro said he hates me?” I asked, letting myself fall back so that I was laying on the floor. “He even said my name when he said it.”

“Did he call you Mizura or Mizu?” Takashi asked a very good question. But why would it really matter which one it was?

“He called me Mizu,” I said, just watching the ceiling. I didn't even notice Takashi sitting down beside me.

“Then he doesn't really mean it.”

 _Then why say it?_ I thought, my mood getting even worse.

“He's very hurt because of what happened, but he can't bring himself to hate you. He cares too much about you,” Takashi explained it so clearly and certainly, something about it seemed like he knew something that he probably shouldn't.

“What do you know?” Angry about the whole thing, I rolled over so I faced the side he wasn't on. It's not like he really knew how Toshiro felt. Unless the Host Club was getting themselves involved in this mess. “How would you know anything about this anyway?”

“Hikaru and Kaoru were told that by Toshiro.”

“They have no business in this. Tell them and the rest of those idiots to stay the hell out of it!” I was slipping back into my old self a bit.

Takashi then grabbed my arm, rolling me around to face him. As he looked down at me, he had a very serious look on his face, along with an extremely serious tone in his voice. “They're doing it because they care about you. Whether you want them to interfere or not, they will do it anyway. They're your friends and this is what friends do for each other.”

With that, my anger melted away. Something about the way he was looking at me and the little rant he'd gone on had left a little fluttery feeling in my chest. Not only that, my face started to feel all warm, like it did sometimes when I got angry, but there was no anger. This was a new feeling for me.

“Ok.” I could barely say anything. Normally I'd argue with him and then eventually threaten him for getting involved. But now, nothing.

What was it that had come over me?


	12. Toshiro & Mizu: Meant To Be?

That day with Takashi stuck with me. What was that weird feeling that came over me? I couldn't exactly ask him about it, and Mitsukuni was always with him, so asking Mitsukuni wasn't much of an option either.

Not only was there those strange feelings, but there was the mess with Toshiro as well. Just what had Takashi meant when he'd said that Toshiro couldn't hate me? It all seemed to be more trouble than it was worth. But it was too late to go back to how things had been before I met Mitsukuni.

“So what is this all about?” I shouted at the members of the Host Club. I'd been dragged here by Mitsukuni and Takashi, without even being told a reason. The fact that the most troublesome duo wasn't present only made this even more suspicious.

“Come on! Let go of me!” a familiar voice weakly protested.

Over by the door, struggling in the grip of the Hitachiin brothers, was Toshiro. As soon as he saw me, Toshiro struggled even harder to break loose. However, when he was finally free, his way out of the room was blocked off by the two hosts.

“What the hell are you idiots trying to do?” I shouted at them again. Dragging me around was one thing, but Toshiro too? No way in hell was I going to let that happen. “You are going to leave Toshiro alone starting right now! I don't know what you're trying to pull, but give it up! He said he hates me, so if he doesn't want to be anywhere near me, then fine. Does it hurt me? Yeah, but I'd rather he stay away if that is what he really wants. This has absolutely nothing to do with you, so stay the hell out of it! If he wants to forgive me and try to be my friend, that's his decision. Whatever he decides, I will go along with it no matter what I feel. Toshiro has been through enough already! So let him go right this second or I will make you!”

No one moved or said anything. I doubt they had any idea what to say. Thinking back to what I'd just said, it reminded me of a time when I'd defended Toshiro back in elementary school, long before I'd pretended to be his friend.

“ _Pick on someone your own size!” I remembered saying. Two older boys were tossing a schoolbag back and forth over the head of a boy from my class._

“ _Make us, you stupid girl!” one of them had shouted at me while the other pushed the younger boy to the ground._

_It angered me that they were picking on someone so helpless, so gentle as Toshiro was. So I decided I'd do something about it. I taught those two punks a lesson they'd never forget. After having beaten up the pair, I turned away from their victim, leaving him to gather his things on his own._

“ _Thanks for saving me!” he'd said as I started walking away._

“ _Forget about it.”_

“ _Do you want to be my friend?” he'd asked me, thought the word held no meaning to me anymore._

“ _No.”_

A sudden embrace pulled me from my memory. Unsure what was going on, I just froze. Toshiro was standing there in front of me, hugging me.

“You were always protecting me,” said the voice of my teary-eyed friend. “Ever since we were kids, you were looking out for me. Even though you'd always said you had no interest in being my friend, you still protected me. And even now, you still do. Even after I lied and told you I hated you, you still were there when I needed you. I... I love you Mizu.”

He tighten his grip on me before releasing me. I had no idea what to say. I didn't even know what I was feeling. The only thing I could do was take a few steps backwards and let myself fall to the floor. As I sat there, countless thoughts were racing through my mind, but still I couldn't say anything.

“It appears our spirited little Mizura is too stunned to even speak,” Kyoya said. As if it wasn't painfully obvious already.

As I looked down at the floor, I didn't notice Toshiro until he was kneeling right in front of me. “It's ok if you don't feel that way about me. I don't mind,” he said, his arms wrapping around me. I still couldn't move or speak. “I always loved you, ever since that first time you rescued me. And even when you abandoned me, I never hated you. If you don't feel the same, it's alright. As long as you're my friend, that's enough for me.”


	13. Obvious & Oblivious

“Hey Mitsukuni?” I asked as the two of us waited for Takashi's kendo practice to end. The Host Club was closed today, so I was hoping to convince Takashi to do one of our training sessions today. Normally we met up every other day, but on the days he was free from the Host Club, we would sometimes do an extra session. “Can I ask you about something?”

“Is something wrong Mizu-chan?” the sweet blonde asked, tilting his head to the side. Even though he often acted much younger than he was, he could act mature when he wanted to. That was the one thing about him that I liked most.

“I've noticed something lately, but I'm not sure what it is,” I started to explain. After hearing Toshiro's feelings, I'd been left even more confused about my own.

“Is this about the way you've been acting around Takashi lately?”

He'd guessed it on the first try. Was it really that noticeable? I didn't think I'd been acting that differently when others were around, but I guess I just didn't notice it. Leaning back against the wall, I turned my gaze to the ceiling. “How did you know?”

He giggled at me and hugged that rabbit of his. “Everyone notices it. It's really obvious to everyone, even Takashi.”

“But what does it mean though?” No matter how obvious it was to everyone else, all of this was still new to me. Until I'd come to Ouran, I hadn't even really known what being a friend really meant. Even now I was still way behind when it came to understanding emotions.

“You mean you don't know?”

 _Would I ask if I did know?_ I thought, but I didn't say it out loud. Even with as good of friends as the two of us were, that would probably upset him. “All of this is still new to me,” I said instead, trying to maintain a calm attitude. Which I still had trouble with every now and then when my emotions were strong.

“That's something you will have to figure out on your own, Mizura,” the familiar voice of Takashi said, drawing my focus back down to where I stood with Mitsukuni. I hadn't heard him coming, so his appearance had startled me a bit.

“Hey Takashi,” I greeted him, smiling up at him. “Can-”

“No.”

“But-”

“No.”

I hadn't even gotten to say more than a word of what I'd wanted to ask. Now that I thought about it, he had seemed a bit more... I don't even know. I guess the word would probably be distant.

Since that day with Toshiro when he'd confessed his feelings, Takashi had kind of been acting a bit more cold towards me. It almost seemed like he'd been avoiding me, but that just didn't make any sense. What reason could he possibly have to avoid me?

Thinking back, he really only started hanging around me because of Mitsukuni.  _Was that the only reason he agreed to help me in the first place? He's been acting so differently now, it doesn't make sense._ I had to force myself to stop thinking about it. Just the thoughts alone were making my heart ache and that was the last thing I needed right now.

“What's with him?” I whispered to myself as he started to walk away. It wasn't until I heard Mitsukuni's voice that I noticed that I'd said it out loud.

“Mizu-chan, I think you're even more oblivious than Tama-chan is.”


	14. Takashi's True Feelings

They had told me that I'd have to figure this out on my own. But if I knew nothing at all about this kind of thing and Takashi was avoiding me lately, how the hell was I supposed to figure this whole mess out?

Outside of class, it was near impossible to see him. The only chance I ever got was during the short training sessions we had. Though I had the feeling the only reason he even kept helping me with my martial arts was solely because he had promised he would. Knowing Mitsukuni, he'd never let Takashi break a promise.

Today, he was more quiet than I'd ever heard him. Sure, it was normal for him not to say much, but this was beyond that. I don't even think he'd said a single word all day. Well, not that I'd known of anyway.

The session was almost over for today, meaning this was when he'd test what I'd learn up until now. To do that, we just had a simple match that would last until I either beat him or I'd shown enough of my skills for him to prepare for what he'd teach me next.

No matter how hard I tried, I could never win. He always did just enough to keep ahead of me, but it was enough. Today was different however, because I was winning. Something about it seemed wrong from the beginning. It wasn't until I'd actually beaten him that I realized it.

He had let me win. The question was, why did he do that? With a little thought, it became quite obvious. If I were to be better than him, he wouldn't have to teach me. If he didn't have to teach me, then he'd have no reason be around me anymore. But why didn't he want to be around me? Did he really hate me?

 _If he really didn't want to help in the first place, then why didn't he just say something?_ The thought of it really irritated me. As he started to walk away from me, I couldn't stop myself from yelling at him. “What the hell is your problem?” He stopped but still refused to look at me. “Until Toshiro showed up, you acted like my friend. Now you won't even do so much as look at me? If you don't want to help me with this, then just say it! Don't go easy on me! You know I can handle a lot more than this, yet you go easy on me anyway! If you really hate me that much then just come out and say it!”

Ok, that may have been a bit on the harsh side, but he did have it coming. The moment he turned around, I knew I'd struck a nerve. Before I'd even had a chance to react, he had me pinned to the floor, Takashi had such a tight grip on my wrists that I couldn't move.

“Don't you ever say that again,” he said in a very serious and almost threatening voice. The look in his eyes was one I'd never seen before. Something about it told me that I'd done more than just piss him off. It was almost scary.

“Taka-”

“Don't even say it,” he growled at me. It he'd been scary before, this was even more so. In all the time I'd known him, I'd never seen him like this. In a way, I kinda liked it. “Don't you ever think for even a second that I don't care about you. I love you, Mizura.”

I didn't know what to say to that. After all I'd just said, what could I really say? “I see you talking to him and I just... I can't stand it. To know you care more about him than you would me, it tears me apart. I-”

It was hurting him to keep talking about this, even I could tell. I knew I had to find some way to make him stop, without saying anything. If I tried to talk, he'd just stop me and continue on. So I stopped him the only way I physically could. Leaning up as much as I could, I pressed my lips against his.

I'd only meant for it to be a distraction, but when he kissed back, I couldn't pull away. I didn't even want to. Nothing in my life had ever felt so perfect, so right.

He released his hold on my wrists, instead wrapping his arms around me. My now free arms slid their way up and around his neck, pulling him as close as possible. For just a moment, nothing existed but the two of us.

When we finally parted, I'd figured out what it was I had been feeling for him. “I love you Takashi.” After that moment, nothing else mattered except one thing. Takashi Morinozuka was mine, and I was his.

 


End file.
